Semiconductor devices are used in many electronic and other applications. Semiconductor devices comprise integrated circuits that are formed on semiconductor wafers by depositing many types of thin films of material over the semiconductor wafers, and patterning the thin films of material to form the integrated circuits.
There is a trend in the semiconductor industry towards reducing the size of features, e.g., the circuits, and the devices in order to increase density of the semiconductor devices. Hence, the minimum feature size of semiconductor devices has steadily decreased over time. However, as features of semiconductor devices become smaller, it becomes difficult to form small features at required performance. One such challenge involves the fabrication of capacitors used in various applications. For example, the footprint of capacitors should be reduced without degrading the capacitance. This drives a need for new materials as well high aspect ratio features, all the while, without significantly increasing the cost of the device.
Hence, what are needed in the art are improved structures and methods for producing capacitors amenable to sustain scaling of the semiconductor industry.